Shiquan community residents pool funds for mutual benefit
Print Edition
Residents in a few areas of Shiquan subdistrict are pooling their money for a rainy day to help fellow residents in need.
The project has been so successful that it is being introduced to other parts of Putuo.
The funds are used to buy festival gifts, organize events and assist fellow residents in extreme financial need.
The collection originated in a one-day donation event in the 1991. Since then, residents have been helping each other with money earned from fundraising projects, and sales of old newspapers and plastic bottles.
The fund brings people in the same building or block closer together.
When a teenager surnamed Pan lost both parents, neighbors came to his aid and a retired veteran cadre Lai Caigen gave Pan 2,000 yuan (US$327 today) every year for his education until he found a job.
The fund also faces challenges. After a few years money was donated steadily by residents who knew about the program and its benefits, but when new residents moved in, they didn’t know each other and appreciate the program. It was difficult for building managers and staff to visit every new family and explain the fund.
At first the neighborhood committee charged an extra 20 yuan when collecting cleaning fees every six months, which made some residents unhappy. But after they attended events organized with the extra funds and received gifts for the holidays, they understood the initiative and began to participate more actively.
The exact amounts collected and their precise uses are posted regularly, letting all residents see the fund’s finances. The donation season is usually at the end of the year, and notices are posted days before.
“This fund encourages residents to manage their own affairs, so the subdistrict can focus on the more important issues in people’s lives,” said Zheng Xiaojun, Party secretary in Shiquan residential area.
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